5 Ways to Deal with Negativity

Whether you are a model or a photographer or an MUA, stylist, or designer, you’re going to deal with negativity in your creativity, especially if you use social media. Here are 5 ways to deal with that negativity calmly and appropriately.

#1 – Ignore it.

Many times the best thing to do with negativity, especially that which is aimed at upsetting you, is to just ignore it if you can. There are unfortunately people in every community who would rather spend their time arguing with others than creating themselves. When you engage with them by arguing back, it only fuels their “fun” in tormenting you and others.

#2 – Understand it.

When you see someone commenting negatively on your work, take a moment to understand what they are saying and why before you react. Most negative, non-constructive comments come from people who are insecure or feel threatened by your work for whatever reason. I’ve found that identifying this makes it a lot easier to just ignore the negativity or to at least respond calmly.

#3 – Learn from it.

Sometimes there may be something you can learn from the comments. Sometimes the comments you take as negative may actually be constructive. Again, similar to #2, take a moment to look at the comment and try to understand it. Are they attempting to offer you helpful advice? If so it may be worth looking into it even if you choose not to respond.

#4 – Calmly address it.

If you do wish to address a negative comment, do so calmly. If you find all you are doing is firing back, it’s best to just ignore the comment and move on. But if you feel you can have a discussion, then take your time to craft a reply that is well thought out and not inflammatory. Explain your side and avoid saying they are just wrong or completely dismissing their opinion if possible. A calm response may defuse them if they were trying to start a fuss and at least if they respond back, you are calm.

#5 – Remove it.

If you truly feel a comment is completely unwarranted, you can often remove it depending on where it is. However, please use this tool cautiously. I generally only remove comments if they are vulgar or threatening or completely off topic in a way that is problematic. If you do this too often, you will hinder yourself and you’ll probably drive away some of the good people who want to interact with you too.

Try these tips next time you experience negativity and let me know in the comments if they work for you.